Between 1997 and 1999, NORC collected data for the the Gambling Impact and Behavior Study, which investigated the gambling behavior and attitudes of adults and youth in America. It also estimated the effects of gambling facilities on a variety of local economic and social indicators.
Respondents were randomly selected by a national random-digit dial (RDD) through a stratified design by state lottery status and distances to major casino. The study included three independent, unlinkable data files:
- Adult questionnaire
- Youth questionnaire
- Community Database
The Adult and Youth questionnaires covered areas such as demographic information, geographic region, gambling behavior and attitudes, motivations for gambling, gambling history, a problem-gambling diagnostic assessment, gambling treatment experience, family/marital status and issues, income and financial information, criminal activity, mental and general health, and substance use. Areas of substance abuse examined were the use of alcohol, marijuana, hashish, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, stimulants, tranquilizers, amphetamines, and speed.
The Community Database included geographic locators (latitude, longitude), availability of gaming facilities, gaming spending estimates, employment patterns by industry, unemployment, bankruptcy, personal income, private and public earnings, government expenditures, income maintenance/AFDC, and vital statistics.
GIBS was the first national probability survey of gambling since 1974. It was funded by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission as part of its mandate to conduct a comprehensive study of the social and economic impacts of gambling in the United States. The GIBS included five separate initiatives: a nationally representative telephone survey of 2,417 adults, a national telephone survey of 534 youths aged 16 and 17, randomized intercept interviews with 530 adult patrons of gaming facilities, a longitudinal data base (1980–1997) of social and economic indicators in a national probability sample of 100 communities, and case studies in 10 communities regarding the effects of large-scale casinos operating in close proximity.
Highlights of Findings:
Resources: